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ships of the various counties. On the 21st day of February, 1798, the Assembly passed an act, the object of which appears in the first section, which declares "that the inhabitants of every township, precinct and ward within this State be and they hereby are constituted a body politic and corporate in law by the following names, that is to Each township in all the counties was then created by name a corporation, in this manner: "The inhabitants of the township of New Barbadoes in the County of Bergen, shall be styled and known by the name of 'The inhabitants of the Township of New Barbadoes, in the County of Bergen."" By the passage of this act one hundred and three corporations were created, there being that number of townships in the State. There are one or two peculiarities in this law which are interesting. There were four wards in Middlesex, two in Perth Amboy and two in New Brunswick; the North Ward in the first, was incorporated under the name of the township of Perth Amboy; the South Ward, under that of South Amboy; the North Ward in the latter, un der the name of the "Township of North Brunswick" and the South Ward, under that of "South Brunswick." In Middlesex there were two precincts, the eastern and the western; they became corporations under the names of the Townships of Franklin and Montgomery. In Cumberland, six out of the seven corporations were originally precincts, but became townships. In Sussex, out of the fifteen corporations, eleven were at first precincts, and in Cape May, all three of the townships were originally precincts.

On the 29th of October, 1822, an act was passed with this title: "A further Supplement to an act entitled 'An act for dividing and ascer taining the boundaries of all the counties in this province' passed the 21st day of January, 1709." By this Supplement, the boundaries of some, if not all, of the counties, and the dividing lines between others were defined and established. The Easterly bounds of the County of Essex were declared to be "the middle or midway of the sound of the same name, adjoining same as far as the limits of the said County extend." The bounds of Middlesex County were thus described: "The Easterly bounds of the County of Middlesex are declared to be the middle or midway of the waters of the Sound adjoining the same to the middle of the channel at the junction of the waters of the sound with the waters of the Rariton River to the Eastward of the Flat or Shoal which extends from Amboy or Cole's Point and thence to the mouth of Whale Creek the beginning of the bounds of the counties of

Middlesex and Monmouth. The Sound mentioned in these two descriptions is what is now known as Staten Island Sound upon which Elizabeth Town, then in Essex County, and Woodbridge and Amboy, in Middlesex, impinged.

act:

Monmouth County's northerly bounds were thus set forth in the "The middle or midway of the waters of the Rariton Bay from the line of Middlesex to the main channel which passes by Sandy Hook and along the said Channel to the Sea."

Salem County's bounds were stated thus by the act: "The Northern boundary of the County of Salem shall be taken and deemed to be as follows: to extend from the middle of the Channel at the mouth of Oldman's Creek to the main Ship Channel of the River Delaware striking the same at a right angle and the Southern bounds extending from said Ship Canal along the Cumberland line to the middle of the channel at the mouth of Stow Creek."

Cumberland County's bounds are also settled by that act. "The Northerly bounds of the County of Cumberland shall be taken and deemed to extend from the middle of the Channel at the Mouth of Stow Creek to the main Ship Channel in the River Delaware striking the same at a right angle and the Southern bounds shall be taken and deemed to extend from opposite the middle of the Mouth of West's Creek to the main Ship Channel in Delaware Bay making a right angle therewith."

The division line between the counties of Cumberland and Cape May was thus defined: "The line of partition between the counties of Cumberland and Cape May shall be taken and deemed to be as follows, towit, to begin at the place where the waters of Mill or Hickman's Creek fall into the Channel of Tuckahoe River at the Boundary Line of Gloucester County and running thence directly into the Mouth of said Creek continuing the same course by a line of marked trees (which by the present position of the compass is South fifty-seven degrees and about thirty minutes West) until it strikes Hughes' on the lower mill pond on West or Jecak's Creek; thence down the middle of the ancient water courses thereof until it falls into Delaware Bay and thence continues a due South West course until it strikes the line of said Counties at the ship Channel of the said Bay."

On the 20th day of November, 1824, Warren County was set off from Sussex with this description: "All the lower part of the County of Sussex South Westerly of a line beginning on the River Delaware, at

the Mouth of Flat Brook, in the Township of Walpack, and running from thence a straight course to the North East corner of the Hardwick Church situated on the south side of the main road leading from Johnsonsburg to Newton and from thence in the same course to the middle of the Muskonetcong Creek and the same is hereby erected into a separate County to be called the County of Warren and a line running from thence down the middle of said Muskonetcong Creek to where it empties into the Delaware shall hereafter be the division line between the counties of Morris and Hunterdon and the said County of Warren.” On the 7th day of February, 1837, two new counties were created by the same act-Passaic and Atlantic. Passaic was thus described: "All those parts of the Counties of Essex and Bergen contained within the following boundaries and lines: Beginning at the Mouth of Yantakaw or Third River at its entrance into the Passaic River, being the present boundary of the Township of Acquackanonk, running thence North Westerly along the course of the line of said Township to the corner of said line at or near the Newark and Pompton Turnpike; thence in at straight line to the bend of the Road below the house now occupied by John Freeman, in the township of Caldwell, being about one and a half miles in length; thence to the middle of Passaic River; thence along the middle of said River to the middle of the Mouth of the Pompton River by the two Bridges; thence up said River along the line between Bergen and Morris Counties to Sussex County; thence along the line between Sussex and Bergen Counties to the State of New York; thence Easterly along the line between the two States to the division line between the Townships of Pompton and Franklin; thence along the said line dividing said Townships and the Townships of Franklin and Saddle River to where it intersects the road commonly (called) Goetchius lane; thence down the centre of said road or lane to the Passaic River; thence down the middle of Passaic River to the place of Beginning." The County of Atlantic created by the act is thus described: "All the East part of the County of Gloucester contained in the Townships of Galloway, Hamilton, Weymouth and Egg Harbour."

On the 22d of February, 1843, a new County called Mercer was created with these boundary lines: "All those parts of the Counties of Hunterdon, Burlington and Middlesex contained within the following boundaries, viz. Beginning on the River Delaware at the Mouth of Crosswick's Creek and at the extreme western point of the division line between the Townships of Nottingham and Chesterfield in the County

of Burlington and running thence up the said creek along the middle of the same and as the same runs in several courses to the boundary line of Monmouth County; thence northwesterly along the said line until it strikes the Boundary line of the Township of East Windsor in the County of Middlesex, which divides said Township from the County of Monmouth; thence along said line between East Windsor Township and Monmouth County till it strikes Rocky Brook; thence down the middle of said Brook to a new Road leading to Milford; thence along said Road Eastwardly to the Westerly line of Louis Riggs' land; thence along said line Northwardly to the Middle of Millstone River; thence down the said River along the middle thereof the several courses of the same to the line dividing the Counties of Somerset and Middlesex; thence Southwestwardly along said dividing line to the line of the County of Hunterdon; thence along the line dividing the Counties of Somerset and Hunterdon to a point therein where the same crosses the road called the Pennington road leading from the village of Rocky Hill to the village of Pennington; thence continuing along the middle of said Road the various courses thereof to the Delaware River at Titusville; thence down said River the several courses and including the Islands belonging to this State to the place of Beginning."

On the 27th of February, 1838, the Township of Princeton, or such of it as was, prior to that time, included within the County of Somerset, was added to Mercer.

On the 22d day of February, 1840, another new County called Hudson, was created by an act of the Legislature, with these bounds: “Beginning at the North Easterly corner of the present Township of Bergen on the boundary line between this State and the State of New York; thence running Westwardly on the line which divides the said township of Bergen from the Township of Hackensack to the Hackensack River; thence down the middle of said Hackensack River to the middle of the Turnpike road of the New Barbadoes Toll Bridge Company; thence westwardly along the middle of the said Turnpike road in the various courses thereof to the middle of the abutment of the Bridge across the Passaic opposite to the village of Acquackanunk; thence along the middle of said Bridge to the point where it meets the line between the present County of Passaic and Bergen; thence down the said Passaic River and Newark Bay in the several courses thereof on the boundary lines between the said County of Bergen, as the same stood before the passing of this act, and the counties of Passaic and Essex to Kill-von

Kull; then Eastwardly on the boundary line between this State and the State of New York to the Hudson River; thence Northwardly continuing on the said boundary line between this State and the State of New York up the said Hudson River to the place of Beginning."

On the 13th day of March, 1844, seven townships were taken from Gloucester and made a County under the name of Camden, with this description: "That the seven townships of Camden, Waterford, Newton, Union, Delaware, Gloucester and Washington, now composing a part of the County of Gloucester, be and the said townships are hereby erected into a separate County named and hereafter to be called the County of Camden."

On the 15th day of February, 1850, the County of Ocean was created with the boundaries mentioned in the following description: "All that part of the County of Monmouth contained within the following boundaries, viz: beginning at Manasquan Inlet and mouth of Manasquan River; thence up the middle of said River to the first bridge over the same; thence Westerly to a corner on the south side of said River near the old bridge; thence South Westerly to the Road leading to Jackson's Mills; thence along said Road till it strikes the line between Howell and Jackson townships; thence along said line to the North East corner of Jackson township; thence along the line between Jackson and Freehold townships till it strikes the road leading from Freehold to Mount Holly; thence up the middle of said road to the Plumsted line; thence down said line to Moses Ivins's floodgate bridge over the Lahaway Creek being the beginning corner of Plumsted township; thence following the Plumsted line the several courses thereof to the line between Burlington and Monmouth Counties; thence along said line to the sea shore; thence along the sea to the place of Beginning be and the same is hereby erected into a separate County to be the County of Ocean and the said lines shall hereafter be the dividing lines between the Counties of Monmouth, Burlington and Ocean."

On the 19th day of March, 1857, Union County was created, by an act of the Legislature passed that day, with this description: "Beginning on the Sound leading from Elizabeth Town point to Amboy at the easternmost point in the division line between the Counties of Essex and Middlesex; thence North Easterly along the Eastern line of Essex County to the South East point in the division line of the Township of Clinton; thence westerly along the division line between the Township of Clinton and City of Elizabeth to the division line between

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